Final Projects – Guidelines
LINC11 Winter 2025
April 3, 2025
Submission due: April 14th, 23:59 on Quercus
1 The Data to Consider
You’ll be given the option to choose between one of several topics for the final project. Each of these topics will have some natural language data, and a question or set of questions surrounding it that relates to content we’ve discussed in this course. You’ll be given a brief write-up concerning the topic in question, and one or several papers and/or datasets bearing on this topic to discuss. So, for example, you might receive a paper on Mongolian case, along with a set of discussion questions about the paper and the data therein. You are permitted and encouraged to consider data and discussions outside of those given to you, including from other published work as well as linguistic judgements and data from yourself, your team-mates, or others you might know. However, you must properly cite all of the sources you use, and mention clearly where your data comes from. This is, however, not a field research project, and you should not be going out to collect additional data or formally consulting others. All the data you realistically need to complete this project will be available in the packages given to you.
2 What are we looking for?
The final project is a group assignment. We want you to cooperate with others and share your ideas, importantly to learn from one another. However, you are also permitted to submit individually if you absolutely must. As a group project, we are therefore expecting to see the following three pieces:
1. A written report on the topic you choose
2. A group accountability document (just like in synthesis ex. 2)
3. A personal reflection statement on your role in the groupwork
2.1 Written Report
As a group, you should submit a written report that addresses the questions posed to you in the Discussion Ques- tions document. These might ask you, for example, to consider an author’s analysis in light of what we’ve learned about the architecture of the grammar, or perhaps you might be asked to formulate your own hypotheses about some of the data. You’ll be asked to illustrate your points with figures and structural diagrams, in addition to other means, e.g. tables, written examples etc.
The report should have a clear opening where the problems are outlined, several sections taking up your dis- cussion and/or solutions to the topic you’ve chosen, and concluding or summarizing remarks at the end. Your report must include a discussion of how you arrived at your conclusions and solutions. This is the real core of what we are assessing: your reasoning and analysis skills, taking into account what we’ve discussed this term in class.
2.2 Specifications and Submission Guidelines
Your group submission must be completed by uploading a PDF document onto Quercus. Only one member from each group needs to upload a final submission file.
Keep your report under seven (7) pages in length (single or double spaced) at an average of 12pt font. There are no strict formatting requirements, but please aim for readability -use simple fonts, keep margins to a reasonable size (2.5cm / 1 inch is ideal) and write with black text, using colour, bold, italics or other special formatting sparingly. You are not being assessed on formatting, but if any formatting choices impact readability, it could impact your grade.
Figures and structures may be generated using a program (e.g. R syntax tree, LaTeX etc.), illustrated digitally by other means, or submitted as hand–drawn structures embedded as images in your text. Either way, readability and clarity of presentation of your points is essential.
3 Assessment Criteria
These three criteria are equally–weighted aspects of your report. The final project is worth 25% of your final mark, and will be assessed on a point–based rubric taking into account the following assessment criteria:
• Have you addressed all of the issues raised in the questions document?
• Is the discussion thorough, and properly supported with references to the data, figures, etc.?
• Is the writing clear and concise so as to properly convey your argumentation?